Well, funerals are rites. Rites are universal phenomena and follow certain scripts, so funerals will probably stay formulaic.
In Finland a funeral would usually mean a short ceremony in a church/chapel, burial, and dinner/similar. The ceremony usually says very little about the person since the priest probably didn't know them. (Though the hymns could be chosen by the family for example.) But, since it's a separate event, you don't have to go! Most people do though. But then the dinner/whatever event afterwards is organized by the family (or friends), and has speeches/pictures/general talk about that person.
That being said, I do sometimes find funerals (and weddings) weirdly repetitive and impersonal. If people tried a little, I'm sure there are ways to make them more interesting without breaking too many traditions (if those are important to you).
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In Finland a funeral would usually mean a short ceremony in a church/chapel, burial, and dinner/similar. The ceremony usually says very little about the person since the priest probably didn't know them. (Though the hymns could be chosen by the family for example.) But, since it's a separate event, you don't have to go! Most people do though. But then the dinner/whatever event afterwards is organized by the family (or friends), and has speeches/pictures/general talk about that person.
That being said, I do sometimes find funerals (and weddings) weirdly repetitive and impersonal. If people tried a little, I'm sure there are ways to make them more interesting without breaking too many traditions (if those are important to you).